When Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau started their Ohio State careers as two of the top five overall prospects in the 2021 recruiting class, the expectation was that they would become immediate stars for the Buckeyes and leave for the NFL after three years. Instead, both enter their fourth year at Ohio State still looking to fully meet expectations.
The reality was that Sawyer and Tuimoloau still had a lot to learn when they arrived at Ohio State even though they were such highly touted recruits. That much was apparent to them during a recent film session when they and fellow senior defensive lineman Tyleik Williams watched some film from their freshman year.
“We were like, ‘Holy shit, we came a long way,’” Sawyer recalled during an interview session on Wednesday. “Being able to grow up with those guys and see the maturity level that we've all grown to from our freshman year on the football field and off the football field has been great. And it's funny that it comes full circle.”
Tuimoloau admitted last week that he, Sawyer and Williams wouldn’t have guessed they would all still be playing at Ohio State as seniors. But they’re all excited for the opportunity to make one last run at greatness together.
“For us to just continue to see each other grow and see all of us have our games (where they’ve performed well over the last three years), and now we're just hoping to put all of our best games and have it in one,” Tuimoloau said. “And just all of us deciding to come back, that's just another year of memories, but another year to grind and get better by each other's side.”
In Sawyer, Tuimoloau, Williams and fifth-year senior Ty Hamilton, Ohio State has a quartet of defensive linemen who could all already be playing in the NFL. Williams, Tuimoloau and Sawyer were all considered potential early-round picks if they went pro last year after their junior seasons, while Hamilton could have garnered consideration as a late-round draft choice.
With all of them instead deciding to stay at Ohio State for the 2024 season, the expectation for the Buckeyes’ defensive line this year is clear: To be the best defensive line in the country.
“We want to be number one, so that's the spot we're reaching for every day,” Hamilton said. “Like (defensive line coach Larry Johnson) says all the time, we try to reach the summit, so that's what we're trying to do every single day, climb that mountain and be on top.”
Williams said they expect their defensive line to be “the most disruptive group in the nation.” Sawyer said that being dominant this season is something they’ve talked about frequently as an entire defensive line, including the second-teamers who are also expected to see plenty of playing time in the rotation behind them, and they’ve worked hard all offseason to give themselves a chance to get there.
“I think that's something all four of us and really eight of us on the D-line talk about is being dominant,” Sawyer said. “There's no ceiling to how good we can be this year, and we know that it's all about us going out there and doing it. We can talk about it all day, but until we go out there and do it, it doesn't mean a damn thing. So we're all excited to get out there, man, we're hungry. And I've seen just a different level of determination to chase greatness than I've seen since I've been here.”
Ohio State’s defensive line was very good last season, leading the way up front for the Buckeyes to finish second in the nation in points allowed per game (11.2) and third nationally in yards allowed per game (265.4). But they still have plenty of room to grow after finishing just 29th in rushing yards allowed per game (119.5), 60th in sacks (28) and 65th in tackles for loss (72).
Sacks aren’t the primary concern for the Buckeyes because they know that statistic doesn’t tell the whole story and that teams often look to throw the ball quickly against them. But they do want to make game-changing plays on a more consistent basis this year and lead the way for a defense that strives to win games for Ohio State every week.
“I think with all of us coming back, we knew something had to change and the violent mentality and just the people that came in here and spoke to us and Coach J preaching to us, that's just been the type of mentality we want to play with. Not to the point where we're getting out of our technique, but staying in that mode, staying in that kill mode and just attacking everybody that's in front of us,” Tuimoloau said. “I think we were (violent last year), but Coach J always preaches that the measuring stick never stays the same. If it stays the same, then you know you're just getting complacent and I think that's one thing he's been preaching to us, it has to change. Every day there's a new bar to reach, every day he's expecting more greatness out of us.”
“There's no ceiling to how good we can be this year, and we know that it's all about us going out there and doing it. We can talk about it all day, but until we go out there and do it, it doesn't mean a damn thing.”– Jack Sawyer on the potential of Ohio State’s defensive line
Ohio State’s defensive line enters the 2024 season with a strong claim to being the most talented defensive line in the country, but Johnson’s message to his players has been that talent alone won’t get them to the heights they want to reach.
“Talent is only a small part of what we have to do. It's the ability to play hard,” Johnson said last week. “Playing hard and being tough will override talent any day. I firmly believe that. So now to get those guys to play really hard and run to the ball every play, every snap. That's what we're training right now. Make sure they understand the importance of that.”
Ohio State’s defensive line should be as dominant as it expects to be if all four of its starters can play up to their potential. Sawyer’s five-star talent was on full display at the end of last season as he recorded 7.5 tackles for loss with five sacks in Ohio State’s final three games alone. Tuimoloau has shown that he can take over games at his best, most famously when he forced four turnovers in Ohio State’s 2022 win over Penn State. Williams was Ohio State’s most consistently disruptive defensive lineman last year, recording 53 tackles with 10 tackles for loss. Hamilton, like Sawyer, came on strong at the end of last season, recording 19 tackles with four tackles for loss in OSU’s final five games.
Now that the games are about to begin with Saturday’s season opener against Akron, the Buckeyes know they have to back up the hype by playing at a high level every week. Sawyer, as a recently elected team captain, will play a leading role in working to ensure that happens.
“We've talked a lot about shutouts, and I'm not gonna say that's the expectation. But we think that our defense is good enough to go out there and win the game for us, and there's nothing wrong with saying that,” Sawyer said. “That's why we all came back. We came back to be the best defense in the country. And I think that the expectation's gotta be super high for us. We gotta hold each other to a high standard, which we have. And I'm just really excited to see it all come together in a game format against somebody else other than our offense.”
